General – Galapagos Islandshttps://galapagos.com
Sustainable Travel and TourismThu, 26 Jul 2018 18:23:14 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.8.8Sunshine, solar and the Galapagos?https://galapagos.com/2018/07/26/sunshine-solar-galapagos/
https://galapagos.com/2018/07/26/sunshine-solar-galapagos/#respondThu, 26 Jul 2018 18:23:14 +0000https://galapagos.com/?p=424There is the often-repeated story told about the fuel tanker in 2001, carrying a belly full of diesel fuel heading to San Cristobal Island when it struck a reef. More than 570,000 liters of diesel oil poured into the surrounding waters, tainting the water, the shorelines and threatening the plants, birds and marine life unique...

]]>There is the often-repeated story told about the fuel tanker in 2001, carrying a belly full of diesel fuel heading to San Cristobal Island when it struck a reef. More than 570,000 liters of diesel oil poured into the surrounding waters, tainting the water, the shorelines and threatening the plants, birds and marine life unique to the islands.

That incident served as a sort of clarion call to many who live in or are concerned with the fate of the Galapagos Islands.

After that accident, an international consortium of energy companies from G7 countries created the San Cristobal Wind Project, which called for setting up three 51-meter/167-foot tall wind turbines plus two sets of solar panels in 2007, to enable San Cristobal to reduce its reliance on imported fuel. The island has been able to generate 30% of their energy through renewable sources.

The Global Sustainable Electricity Partnership (GSEP) spearheaded a $10-million investment in new clean energy resources for the island to try to make it a model of self-sufficiency for this ecologically unique archipelago as well as for other islands. They completed the first large-scale wind park in Ecuador and one of the world’s largest wind-diesel hybrid systems. As a result, approximately 30% of the island’s electricity needs are met, complemented by two 6kW solar PV systems.

According to GSEP, since 2016, the Island has “reduced diesel consumption by a cumulative total of 2.3 million gallons, avoided 21,000 tons of CO2 emissions and reduced the risk of a fuel spill.” The reduction in emissions cuts come from both limits on local generation and the need for tankers to travel the 621 miles from mainland Ecuador. Those numbers make San Cristobal a model for the other main 18 Galapagos islands, which collectively rely on renewables for roughly 20 percent of electricity production.

The wind power project on San Cristobal is noteworthy for reductions in fossil fuel usage. The bonus is that it seems to have boosted the health and numbers of the endangered species. The project was established with an environmental management plan that outlines methods to protect unique bird populations, especially the critically endangered Galapagos petrel.

One idea was to locate the turbines on a hill far away from petrel nesting sites. Transmission lines were buried to avoid interfering with petrel flights between nesting sites and the sea. A program worked to reduce invasive species such as feral cats, rats and plants. The results show that since the implementation of these measures, no petrels have been harmed in the wind project’s lifetime. In addition, efforts to control pest species have led to an increased hatching success rate from 85 to 96 percent and the petrel population seems to be increasing.

What’s this about an eco airport?

The headline states that Baltra Airport in the Galapagos is “world’s first 100% eco airport has opened for business.”

The Galapagos Islands airport became world’s first to be run entirely on solar and wind power. That’s right, Baltra Airport in the Galapagos is run entirely on power generated by sun and wind. Beyond that, 80% per cent of materials used were recycled from the previous infrastructure. Built in 2012, the airport had already been awarded ‘green status.’

There’s more…

Obviously, boats are the primary mode of transportation in the Galapagos Islands. But drawbacks include fuel and motor oil spills, increased pollution from engine smoke. The World Wildlife Fund and the Galapagos National Park joined together on a project to create a solar-powered transfer boat.

This innovative watercraft used an existing boat that the park had previously confiscated from an illegal fishing operation. The boat now operates entirely on solar power, no fuel and no emissions. It incorporates eight solar panels on top of the canopy; two large batteries provide eight hours of power; an electric motor that produce speeds adequate for water taxis; a motor so lightweight it can be carried easily for service. All this requires little maintenance.

The Finch Bay Hotel is joining the solar revolution with the Finch Bay Solar Panga (formerly the Finch Bay I) transfer boat, which has been retrofitted to work with a fully electric motor. Four solar panels are on the boat’s rooftop to provide provisional power to the boat’s electric engine. The boat itself will receive much of the charge directly from the grid at offices in Puerto Ayora. These lightweight solar panels that are firmly attached to the stainless-steel rooftop will be responsible for transforming sunlight into electricity, which will then be stored in the boat’s batteries. This sustainable project in Galapagos was carried out in tandem with Kara Solar, a highly reputable group known for bringing solar-powered transport to the Achuar communities in the Ecuadorian Amazon.

We applaud all of those individuals, groups and businesses working to insure a sustainable future for these unique and irreplaceable islands.

]]>https://galapagos.com/2018/07/26/sunshine-solar-galapagos/feed/0Who? How? How Many?https://galapagos.com/2018/06/21/who-how-how-many/
https://galapagos.com/2018/06/21/who-how-how-many/#respondThu, 21 Jun 2018 18:08:39 +0000http://galapagos.com/?p=415These amazingly simplistic questions are at the heart of a growing predicament centered around preserving those places in the world that are being “loved to death.” From the Grand Canyon to the Great Pyramids, around the world the growing numbers of tourists are impacting these irreplaceable sites. Nowhere is that more evident, or urgent, than...

]]>These amazingly simplistic questions are at the heart of a growing predicament centered around preserving those places in the world that are being “loved to death.” From the Grand Canyon to the Great Pyramids, around the world the growing numbers of tourists are impacting these irreplaceable sites.

Nowhere is that more evident, or urgent, than the Galapagos Islands. There are more visitors, more and bigger ships, more and cheaper hotels. More of everything. You can blame the hotels or blame cruise ships, but one thing is certain – there are no easy answers.

A recent New York Times article by Federico Rios Escobar focused on the growing number of hotels, writing, “Galápagos travel experts and locals say that land tourism is rising so rapidly because hotel development has exploded on the islands in the past decade.”

While the rapid growth of hotels in the islands is certainly an issue, it is only one of many topics that need to be sorted out. An in-depth serious discussion about the future of the Galapagos and its wildlife populations must include immigration, human population growth, illegal fishing and other such practices, and government oversight or the lack of it in certain areas. Plus one aspect that is not often cited — the adverse effects of discounting and “budget-friendly” hotels and cruise ships.

Yes, putting these fragile ecosystems ‘on sale’ is adding to the stress and burden on these fragile ecosystems. Traditionally, travelers came here by ship, seeking to experience and engage with the wildlife and the landscapes of the unique islands. But the Galapagos Islands are not necessarily for everyone. With the commoditizing of the destination, it is becoming more a product and less of a lifetime experience.

With that, come more travelers who may be looking for a cheap cruise or hotel for a quick getaway or to do some swimming, diving and fishing. It is not their fault that they show up with little understanding or appreciation of the essence of the Galapagos.

That is primarily on the shoulders of the sellers, who themselves may not have an understanding of who should be traveling to these unique islands or the damage done by sale discounts. The islands have a breaking point where they can no longer thrive with more people arriving along with the needed resources and people to serve them.

The government also plays a serious role by enforcing their own rules and regulations unevenly across the board.

So… Who? How? How Many? To these vital questions, we might also add “Why?”

If the islands and the wildlife are to survive, it will take a great deal of effort by all parties – hotels, ships, operators, travel advisors, government and travelers – to come up with viable and long-lasting solutions.

]]>https://galapagos.com/2018/06/21/who-how-how-many/feed/0Finches, finches and then somehttps://galapagos.com/2017/11/09/finches-finches-and-then-some/
https://galapagos.com/2017/11/09/finches-finches-and-then-some/#respondThu, 09 Nov 2017 17:52:24 +0000http://galapagos.com/?p=396After just a bit of research, it is clear there is so much we do not know about the world’s birds and how they are doing. The statistics seem to vary widely. Some estimates say there are roughly between 100 and 400 billion birds in the world. Yet, we do not even know exactly how...

]]>After just a bit of research, it is clear there is so much we do not know about the world’s birds and how they are doing. The statistics seem to vary widely. Some estimates say there are roughly between 100 and 400 billion birds in the world. Yet, we do not even know exactly how many species that encompasses. The number of bird species is usually thought to range between 9,000 to 10,000, but some scientists believe that number may be as high as 18,000 different species… or more. We simply do not know.

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature Red List, considered the authority on the status of the world’s species, now includes 1,227 bird species (12 percent of known birds) as threatened with extinction – 192 of those critically endangered.

Included in the endangered group are several finch species including yellow-headed brush finch, black-spectacled brush finch, pale-headed brush finch, Cochabamba mountain finch, Saint Lucia black finch and Wilkins’s finch. And the critically endangered species list includes mangrove finch, medium tree finch, Nihoa finch, and Gough finch. Both the medium tree finch and the mangrove finch are among the 15 or so species of Darwin’s finches found only in the Galapagos Islands.

We chose one of the Darwin’s finches as our emblem for Galapagos.com and this blog for their role in history, famous for inspiring Charles Darwin in his theory of evolution. At least some of Darwin’s famous finches might soon be driven to extinction.

The Wandering Finch is about ideas, projects, possibilities and solutions.

Parasitic flies brought to the Galapagos Islands most likely by humans in the 1960s are threatening to push some of the finch species of the islands to extinction. The parasitic larvae gorge on the blood of newborn birds in the nests. With a mortality rate of almost 100 percent in many of the finch species, the outlook is grim, yet there is hope on the horizon.

Several groups of researchers are working on a variety of possible solutions to help save these beautiful songbirds, including the concept of biological control, a method, sometimes controversial, of controlling one kind of pest or parasite using another. This practice has been successful in agriculture, but has not been much tested in conservation.

In the case of Darwin’s finches, they are studying the possible use of a parasitoid wasp to control the flies that are currently ravaging the young birds. In a different approach, Dale Clayton, a University of Utah parasitologist, in an article in The Christian Science Monitor described “self-fumigation.” He noted that birds look for soft materials to line their nests, which could include cotton balls sprayed with a small amount of a safe pesticide and placed near nesting sites.

Another idea, which has been used in this country, is to introduce sterile males to other problematic parasitic populations. The females that reproduce with these infertile males do not produce viable offspring, thereby reducing the population of the problem organisms.

The hope is that science can help nature save the Galapagos’ finches, which may produce new methods that can be applied to other threatened species.

]]>https://galapagos.com/2017/11/09/finches-finches-and-then-some/feed/0Big Five Tours & Expeditions Launches Sustainable Travel Sitehttps://galapagos.com/2017/09/20/big-five-tours-launches-sustainable-travel-site/
https://galapagos.com/2017/09/20/big-five-tours-launches-sustainable-travel-site/#commentsWed, 20 Sep 2017 02:48:29 +0000http://galapagos.com/?p=1New website provides agents and travelers with information to help craft sustainable tourism holidays September 25, 2017 (Stuart, Florida) – Big Five Tours & Expeditions announced today the launch of Galapagos.com, a sustainable travel website named after the Galapagos Islands, home to some of the rarest species on Earth and birthplace of Darwin’s theory of...

September 25, 2017 (Stuart, Florida) – Big Five Tours & Expeditions announced today the launch of Galapagos.com, a sustainable travel website named after the Galapagos Islands, home to some of the rarest species on Earth and birthplace of Darwin’s theory of evolution. The new website is designed for travelers and travel advisors in search of world class holiday destinations that also benefit local people and the planet.

Ashish Sanghrajka, President of Big Five Tours & Expeditions, said:

“As a company deeply committed to making the world a better place through purposeful travel experiences that deliver the trip of a lifetime for friends and family, while also benefiting the countries we visit, I am especially proud to launch our new website for travelers and travel advisors to learn about destinations in Latin America that support sustainable tourism practices, from safeguarding cultural heritage, to improving local livelihoods, to saving endangered species.”

Mahen Sanghrajka, Founder and CEO of Big Five Tours and Expeditions explained:

“We have been taking travelers to the Galapagos Islands for nearly 30 years, but Galapagos.com is about much more than the Galapagos alone; the website also provides an overall context for sustainable tourism destinations in Latin America, in order to help travelers, select places to visit that also are working to protect our planet for future generations.”

Galapagos.com is focused on providing a general ranking for destinations based upon the three pillars of sustainable tourism including:

Environmentally friendly practices

Support for the protection of natural and cultural heritage

Contributing to the social and economic well-being of local communities

Costas Christ, an internationally recognized expert on sustainable tourism, and Global Sustainable Tourism Strategist for the Virtuoso Travel network said: “Any time a travel company like Big Five makes the effort to better educate travelers and travel advisors about the importance of sustainable tourism, it helps the travel industry as a whole to be a positive force for safeguarding our planet’s natural and cultural treasures.”

About Big Five Tours & ExpeditionsFounded in Kenya in 1973 by Mahen Sanghrajka, Big Five Tours & Expeditions is renowned for customized, luxury adventure travel to more than 45 destinations worldwide. Big Five has been recognized for its sustainable tourism commitment: the company is twice winner of the Virtuoso® luxury travel network Sustainable Tourism Leadership Award in 2014 and in 2016, while Condé Nast Traveler magazine recognized Big Five with a World Savers Award in 2013. For more detailed information about Big Five customized trips itineraries, contact info@bigfive.com or call one of our destination specialists at (800) 244 3483. Also visit www.bigfive.com.